Energy crisis threatens food production

Staff Reporter :
Consumer goods producing companies are not able to run their factories properly due to severe gas and electricity crises, which threatening shortage of supply in the markets.
Many flour mill owners said that their production level has come down half because of energy crisis as they are continuously failing to operate their mills smoothly.
They apprehended that price of consumer products might be increased further due to drastic fall of production.
Even during normal times, the production and markets of daily commodities like flour, lentils, sugar and edible oil are sometimes volatile because of gas and electricity crises.
If such trend continues, there is a risk of uncertainty in getting products as per demand, they observed.
And currently, due to gas and electricity crisis, production in the factories remains closed for a period during day time, which affecting the market of everyday products, they said.
According to various mill owners, most of the companies are now short of supplying of flour, atta and sugar in the market. Even, wholesale traders are not getting enough goods even after depositing money in advance as the production of various products including sugar, flour and atta has reduced by almost half.
Earlier, the factories, who producing consumer foods, were open round the clock, but now the factories have to be closed for a long time since last two months.
As a result, the companies are not able to supply the products according to the market demand due to reduced production.
According to sources, the prices are increasing because of short fall of production in the factories in the country.
Price of sugar has increased by Tk 15 per kg and now selling at Tk 110 within two weeks. On the other hand, prices of unpacked flour and atta increased by Tk five per kg within a week, which is now being sold at Tk 60 per kg and flour at Tk 65 per kg.
Due to the gas and electricity crisis in the industry, not only hampered the export oriented products, but it is also being disrupted the production of domestic products too.
The government would have to take initiative in supplying uninterrupted gas and electricity to large factories producing consumer goods through separate lines to control of the situation, otherwise there is a risk of major impact on the market, the mill owners said.
The city dwellers have to face at least six hours load shedding everyday even in the capital itself, but those running factories with captive power (self-generated electricity with gas) are facing even worst situation.
The mill owners are not able to generate electricity due to gas crisis, as a result, they are failing to operate their factories properly.
Rice, flour and oil mills must be kept out of load shedding in the current situation in a view to keep the market stable. If not, production of consumer goods will be disrupted and it would be difficult to maintain the supply of consumer goods in the domestic markets.
“We are unable to operate our mill even an hour because of load shedding. Our production has drastically come down in to half,” Sheikh Wazed Ali, owner of Lakhya Flour Mills told The New Nation on Sunday.